American Vintage Mantel

This American vintage mantel is the perfect way to decorate for the 4th of July this year! Celebrate your patriotism in style!

This year is a big one for America! We are celebrating the semiquincentennial this year, or in easier terms, the 250th anniversary of our country’s existence. To commemorate this big milestone, it was a no-brainer that I was going to decorate for the 4th of July. I decided to decorate an American vintage mantel with some fun patriotic crafts thrown in the mix.

The vintage feel comes from the deep colors of burgundy, navy and cream paired with the wood tones. I love the collaboration of the different hues together. It gives an antiquated feeling to the decor without really even having to add vintage pieces.

The focal piece of the mantel is none other than the wood American flag that Mr. Wonderful and I made several years ago. It was and still is one of my favorite DIY projects that we have made. I have used it for decorating in general as well as for Independence Day so it has definitely gotten it’s use over the years. Check out the tutorial if you want to make one for yourself!

Over the flag, I draped some navy star fabric topped with some burgundy fabric that I had. I needed a way to bring the colors into the top of the mantel and this served that purpose. Plus, it was a perfect backdrop for my USA fabric letter bunting. I just shared how to make fabric letters with you a couple weeks ago. You can see how I used them here, but really they can be used for any holiday or event. Spell out any word you want, the options are endless!

Add some accent pieces to the American vintage mantel

On the mantel itself, I added some flowers in a wooden vase that I found at Hobby Lobby recently. It fit wonderfully into the vintage patriotic decor that I had going on. I used some cream and burgundy faux flowers to coordinate with the color scheme.

On the other side of the mantel, I used my vintage candle holders. They felt like they needed a little something extra, so I added a ribbon to each candlestick. It’s funny how different the definitions of navy and burgundy colors can be. The ribbon is supposed to navy and burgundy but they come off more blue and red to me in the pictures. Oh well, just a pet peeve of mine. I guess they work well with the felt stars too which is a lighter shade of navy blue as well.

Next to the candlesticks, I just added a faux plant in a bamboo planter and some stars. In addition are some DIY twine balls that I made. I have yet to share the tutorial for those, but I may soon. I draped across a wood bead garland along the top of the mantel for more wood representation.

Garlands for the win!

Is it just me, or are garlands like the finishing touch on a mantel? I try to decorate my mantel shelf without them sometimes and they just look naked! Ha! I actually found this stars and stripes banner in my 4th of July decor this year and I have no idea where it came from. LOL!! I may really be getting old if I forgot buying it, but it appears that I have. I was so glad to find it in there though because it fit in perfectly with the vintage theme!

Above the banner, I left on the twisted wood bead garlands that I have used on the last couple mantels I have decorated, my Easter mantel and Valentines Day mantel. Right above that are the felt stars that I just shared with you last week. They were so easy to make and really add the finishing touch to this American vintage mantel.

Integrate accent pieces through the room

In addition to the mantel decor, I like to accessorize around the room to make everything cohesive in the theming. One of the easiest ways to do this is to add coordinating pillows on the couch. It is a great way to add some color to your decor!

We previously made this 1776 pillow several years ago for the 4th of July. It was made with spray paint of all things, if you can believe that! It has held up beautifully! You can check out this DIY patriotic pillows post for instructions on how to make your own!

In the bowl on the end table, I added some faux greenery with more of the DIY felt stars.

Across the room, on the media stand, I included a couple accents like more candle holders and a flag.

On the other side I used a red phone booth with some flags inside of it for a fun patriotic look. 

The 4th of July is such a fun holiday to decorate for! And don’t you just love the colors in our flag!? Red, white and blue is such a classic color combination. It makes it easy to make your room look fantastic using those popping colors! Have a great 4th of July everyone! Chat soon friends!